Västerbotten-Cheese

Description

According to a legend, Västerbotten cheese was created by chance at the end of 1872, when dairy employee Ulrika Eleonora Lindström was working alone in the Burträsk Old Town dairy. She interrupted work with Västgöta cheese (Västgötaosten) because of other occupations. This resulted in the cheese mass being cooled and reheated in several passes. Despite the mishap, the cheese unexpectedly acquired a good taste and quickly became a success throughout Sweden.

The cheese made from this production process, unusual until then, was considered unsuccessful and the cheese went to a corner in the cheese warehouse, where it was then forgotten for several months. It was only by chance that the cheese was discovered and tasted. The "factory accident" turned out to be extremely tasty and so larger quantities were produced, which very quickly experienced brisk sales throughout Sweden.

The matured Västerbotten-Cheese has a round loaf shape with a diameter of 42 cm and a weight of about 18 kg. This makes the loaves of Västerbotten cheese the largest and heaviest produced in Sweden. The dry rind and paste are light yellow to straw yellow. The texture is firm, compact and slightly crumbly with small holes. The cheese taste of Västerbotten is strong-spicy, slightly salty and acidic and ranks somewhere between cheddar and parmesan. The aroma is strong.